The Weighing of the Heart by Paul Tudor Owen

The Weighing of the Heart by Paul Tudor Owen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 150

Publisher - Obliterati Press

Source - Review book

Blurb from Goodreads

Following a sudden break-up, Englishman in New York Nick Braeburn takes a room with the elderly Peacock sisters in their lavish Upper East Side apartment, and finds himself increasingly drawn to the priceless piece of Egyptian art on their study wall - and to Lydia, the beautiful Portuguese artist who lives across the roof garden.

But as Nick draws Lydia into a crime he hopes will bring them together, they both begin to unravel, and each find that the other is not quite who they seem.


My Review

Nick Braeburn has broken up with his partner and finds himself moving into an apartment with two quirky older ladies. They have some rarities but it is the Egyptian art piece he is drawn to, that and his artist neighbour Lydia. Before long Nick finds the temptation too much, all round and him and Lydia commit a crime that has long lasting consequences for both.

The book covers a lot of ground, some Egyptian/art stuff that I actually found interesting and looking up. We look at the human psyche, in a subtle way then becoming more prominent, behind the main story of what is happening. Relationships, trust, honesty, lies, betrayal, jealousy to name but a few. For such a short book it packs in quite a bit with unexpected tones and layers nodding to mental health.

Nick is from England but the story centers in New York so a wee bit of trip fiction in there for you but for me it was the Egyptian tie in, the dreams and how that interlinked with what Nick was doing, thinking, feeling. A book with many layers, I think would make for a brilliant book club discussion because so many will take different impressions and points from it. 3.5 for me this time, I look forward to seeing what else Owen has to offer and certainly want to look more into Egyptian legends/mythology.

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